The present invention relates generally to athletic footwear and, more particularly, to a shoe and sole designed for use in marteial art sports such as, for example, karate, judo, kick boxing and the like, as well as for normal day-to-day wear.
In the practice of the martial arts, the feet are used for a variety of purposes. In several disciplines such as karate, the feet are used for direct contact through kicking and blocking. In karate and other disciplines such as judo, foot positioning and placement are critical for leverage, support and traction.
Many marteial arts practitioners, however, do not wear protective foot coverings leaving their feet highly susceptible to injury through contact or abrasion. Also the foots by itself, may not provide adequate traction or support for the variety of spins, shifts and other movements utilized by those practitioners.
The prior art discloses a variety of foot protectors, appliances and other equipment for use in the marteial arts. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,949,493, 4,103,437 and 4,190,971 teach a unitary body, laced, open bottom foot protector which provides a protective cover for the toes, instep, ankles and back portion of the foot. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,769,722 and 4,361,912 disclose a similar foot protector but without lacing. U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,715 discloses a toe cover to provide protection to the toes and support for the instep. U.S. Pat. No. 3,667,140 discloses a slipover shoe or boot provided with heel, toe, side, instep and shin padding. The above-listed patents are all incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth.
None of these patents, however, disclose a shoe or sole which provides the combination of protection, support and traction for the foot as well as being suitable for normal day-to-day wear.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a martial arts shoe for protecting the feet of martial arts practitioners.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a martial arts shoe and sole for providing support and traction for the variety of movements utilized in such practice.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a martial arts shoe and sole which may additionally be utilized for normal day to day wear.